Different Licenses on a Typical Australian Job Site
Job sites are dangerous places, with risks ranging from heavy machinery to falls from large heights. Cranes play an important role at sites in many industries including construction, manufacturing and logistics. Crane safety is paramount and part of the process of ensuring safety on job sites is ensuring crane operators are properly licenced.
Operating a crane takes extensive training, and following set standards to ensure both the crane operator and those in the surrounding area are safe. There are a variety of licences you require to operate a crane or similar machinery depending on its type and use. We list these below.
Slewing Mobile Cranes
Slewing mobile cranes incorporate a jib or boom that can be rotated. It excludes front-end loader, back-hoe, excavator or other earth moving equipment when configured for crane operation. You have to get a different licence depending on the capacity of the crane:
- up to 20T
- up to 60T
- up to 100T
- over 100T
Vehicle Loading Cranes
A vehicle loading crane (VLC) is a crane mounted on a vehicle for the purpose of loading and unloading that vehicle. The operator needs to be trained and competent as well as possessing a high-risk work (HRW) licence to operate a crane with a capacity of 10 metre tonnes or more. This can be a vehicle loading crane HRW licence or one of the four slewing mobile crane licences.
Bridge and Gantry Crane Licence
This licence class is needed for bridge and gantry cranes that are controlled from a permanent cabin, control station or remotely controlled with more than three powered operations (north/south, east/west, up/down, rotating).
Concrete Placing Boom – PB
A concrete placing boom is a fixed or mobile crane truck incorporating a knuckle boom. It is capable of power operated slewing and luffing to place concrete by pumping it through a pipeline attached to or forming part of the boom. To operate a concrete placing boom, you need a PB high risk work licence.
Personnel and Materials Hoist – HP
This licence is required when hoisting personnel, goods and/or materials. It comprises a car, structure, machinery or other equipment associated with the hoist. It can include a cantilever hoist, tower hoist, multiple winch operation and winches configured to operate as hoists for the transportation of personnel. When hoisting materials and good only, you can get a HM licence that covers a materials hoist with cantilever platform.
Other Crane Licences
Other types of crane licences include:
- Boom type elevating work platform – WP high risk work licence
- Derrick cranes – CD high risk work licence
- Portal boom cranes – CP high risk work licence
- Non-slewing mobile cranes – CN high risk work licence
- Tower cranes – CT high risk work licence
- Self-erecting tower cranes – CS high risk work licence
Mobile Crane Hire – Gold Coast and Brisbane
Do you need to hire a mobile crane for domestic or commercial job? Surf City Cranes offer a variety of quality crane trucks for hire on the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Ipswich. Ask our friendly experts about our different cranes and their capabilities and accessories. Call us today on 0421 665 654 or 0402 269 535 or contact us online.
